Should I build a super corner?
The KIA Tigers won the combined championship in 2009 and 2017 for 22 years from 2001 when Haitai was acquired. He prepares for the season with the goal of winning every year, but he only laughed twice. Of course, when he won the championship, the mound was more stable than anything else, and the batting line was strong. 3 beats were right until the defense. In particular, the long hitting power was overwhelming. Among them, first baseman and third baseman, who are called corner infielders, were strong.
In 2009, first baseman Choi Hee-seop and third baseman Kim Sang-hyun were called the so-called CK batting line and showed off their hot long hitting power. Choi Hee-seop recorded 3.8 leagues, 33 homers, 100 RBIs, and an OPS of 1.024. Kim Sang-hyun, who was re-recruited from LG through a trade, hit 301.5 with 36 homers and 127 RBIs. He had an impressive OPS of 1.020.
In 2017, the destructive power was lower than that of the CK gun, but it had strong first and third basemen. Kim Joo-chan, the starting pitcher at first base, posted a batting average of 309, 12 homers, 70 RBIs and 78 runs. Third baseman Lee Beom-ho hit only .272, but recorded 25 homers and 89 RBIs. At that time, the corner outfield also shone. Left fielder Hyung-Woo Choi took the lead with an overwhelming hit of .342, 26 homers, 120 RBIs, 98 runs, and an OPS of 1.026.
Lee Myeong-gi, who played right fielder, played a leadoff role with a 303 200 hit. In the days of Haetae, the predecessor, symbolic corner infielders such as first baseman Kim Seong-han and third baseman Han Dae-hwa led the dynasty’s batting line. When Han Dae-hwa was traded, young Hong Hyeon-woo took over as third base and later reached 30 home runs and 30 stolen bases.
KIA’s immediate task is to build a strong corner infield. With Lee Beom-ho and Kim Joo-chan retiring, the offensive power of the infield has noticeably dropped. Na Seong-beom (21) was the only hitter to hit 20 home runs in the 2022 season. Socrates and Park Dong-won recorded 17 each. Among infielders, first baseman Hwang Dae-in had the most with 14. He couldn’t easily see a room as long as he caught the game hot. 토토
After the 2022 season, KIA recruited 22-year-old Hanwha Geopo prospect Byun Woo-hyuk. I handed over and brought two pitchers, Han Seung-hyuk and Jang Ji-soo. Byun Woo-hyeok can play both 1st and 3rd base. He himself says he’s more confident at third base. Byun Woo-hyeok is expected to be a corner infielder who produces long hits. He is still unknown. It is possible to have no injuries such as the back that caught his ankle and receive many opportunities.
Hwang Dae-in was evaluated to be able to hit 20 home runs, but only 14 last year. He needs to hit at least 20 home runs to be called a strong corner infielder. Based on his two-year start as a starting pitcher and plenty of experience at the plate, he might fill that number this year. It will not be easy to reproduce the power of the CK gun in the 2009 season. Building a strong corner infield depends solely on the performance of the two players.